C y c l i s t Recumbent - Steve Briggs

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sive components can last longer). It makes sense to keep some of these proprietary parts as spares. Replacing these parts should be part of normal maintenance, just as you would replace your chainrings, chain and cassette every so often. The harder you ride, more miles you put on your trike and more inclement the conditions, the more maintenance you’ll need to perform. Our TT 3.6 had more miles put on it than other test bikes and performed flawlessly thoughout the time it was here. Some have been critical of the TT’s high speed handling. I don’t have any criticisms of the TT’s handling but I don’t have the nerve to do 45 mph down steep hills. I finally managed to get it up to 32 but that is it. When the handling criticism was brought up on the WWOG newsgroup, I do not recall seeing any owners complaining, but I have a theory: the WizWheelz TT 3.6 is an all arounder commuter/recreational/touring trike, and not a high speed performance trike. The smooth ride of the TT 3.6 (smoother than all other comparable trikes I’ve ridden) is due to the non-trussed rear end (no triangulation) and bolt-on seat. At high speeds, the trike has a tendency to dance a bit (a combination of pedal steer and a rhythmic tail wag) more than other high performance trikes. So for us mere mortals who cruise bike trails, commute or tour, and don’t pedal at high speeds down mountain passes, the smooth ride of the TT 3.6 is a big plus. Some other benefits include: • Lower bottom bracket: The BB is just 4” above the seat height. While some other trikes higher BB’s give me toe numbness, I do not experience this with the WizWheelz trikes. • The sliding seat makes set up a breeze, and adjustments for other riders is super easy. This would make the WizWheelz trikes ideal for rentals and tours. Dealers will love not having to reset boom and chain lengths for each test ride. • Adjustable seat recline: WizWheelz trikes have a seat recline adjuster method very simlar to the RANS and Bacchetta bikes. You’re not stuck making the decision on what seat angle you have to live with, you can try out different angles and see what works for you. WizWheelz isn’t portraying the TT 3.6 as a super performance machine. It’s just a cool tadpole for average folks who want to ride trikes. WizWheelz has a tremendous new commitment for 2005, with new models and options — all available from your local recumbent dealer. These trikes are of fine quality, pleasurable to ride, and your dealer will also be in love with them after the first time they take one out of the box (fully assembled delivery option). My dealings with the WizWheelz factory has been exceptional. Trikes are becoming a big part of what we do here at RCN, and WizWheelz and the TT 3.6 is an easy recommendation. The trike is built in the US, is affordable and you just won’t find a better value for your first trike (or second or third). ◆ FOR: • Sliding seat; no boom or chain adjustments • Best value in an all arounder tadpole • Most refined TT to date • Smooth, comfortable & shock absorbing • Superior value • Great warranty & money-back guarantee AGAINST • Bolt-on seat not as stiff as frame seats • Non-infinite seat adjustment • Tendency to “dance” at high speed • Heavier than competitors’ models • Heavier than previous TT 3.6 • 40 psi tires (okay for newbies) MORE INFO Web: www.wizwheelz.com WWOG (WizWheelz Owners Group) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wwog). NUMBERS Wheelbase: 39” Seat height: 9.5” Crank height: 14.25” Track width: 31.5” Overall width: 34” Seat angle: 40º-70º Weight: 37.5 lbs. (WW: medium boom) Ours weighed 40.3 with rack, fenders, and platform pedals Weight limit: 250-300 lbs. (contact factory) Gears: 27 Gear-Inch Range: 20.3-84 (19” whl./tire dia.) FRAME Frame: TIG welded 4130 ChroMoly Color: Sparkle red powdercoat with clearcoat Handlebars: Heat-treated aluminum Seat: Heat-treated aluminum with mesh Sizes: Three boom lengths SPECS Crankset: Shimano Tiagra 30/42/53 170mm Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN52 cartridge Cassette: 12-28 9-speed Derailleur (front): Shimano Tiagra Derailleur (rear): Shimano Deore LX Chain: SRAM PC-59 Shifters: SRAM grip shift or Shimano bar-end Kingpins: Brass bushings Brakes: Hayes mechanical disc Levers: Alloy comfort pull Wheels: 406mm 20” Hubs (front): Alloy disc 20mm axle (front) Hub (rear): Alloy Rims: 32º alloy Tires: Blackwall 20” x 1.75” 40 psi Pedals: Platforms WizWheelz 40 PSI Tires I asked WizWheelz Jack Wiswell why the TT 3.6 uses 40 psi tires. Here is his response: Jack Wiswell: We spent a lot of time this year testing different tires. We had hundreds of people ride our test trikes at different events and give us feedback. To our surprise, the lower pressure (35 - 55 psi) tires were almost unanimously the favorites. They handled better than any of the high pressure tires we tested. We then conducted some in-house tests to figure out why. As with a lot of bicycle parts, the tires on a trike don’t behave the same way as they do on a two-wheeled bike. The two main reasons aren’t groundbreaking discoveries, but more common sense: 1. The lateral forces on the tires when turning a trike are much greater than on a twowheeled bike. 2. The weight of the rider and machine is 14 Recumbent Cyclist News distributed over more tire area (because there are three instead of two). Now, when we tell people this they say ‘well duh, anybody can see that.’ Although every trike rider seems to know this, nobody does anything about it. We all keep riding along on our high pressure (80 - 120 psi) bike tires. Like most bike geeks, I too had this illusion that higher pressure = better tires. Once we took the time to really examine the differences between the tires we were testing, we found that the lower pressure tires were acting more like car tires in cornering. They were more supple, so they would rotate slightly on the rim when pushed hard in corners. This keeps more rubber on the road through more of the turn. This is why the trike handled better. We also found that the difference in load on the tires by using three instead of two was greatly underestimated. The amount a tire squashes under weight is much less than on a two-wheeler. So much less, in fact, that you don't really give up speed. The rolling resistance is much closer to the high pressure tires than you might think. This is why everyone was telling us the lower pressure tires felt so much more comfortable, but still felt fast. Now that we had all of our wonderful new tire data, we set out looking for a good low pressure tire. We ended up having our friends in Taiwan make us a tire. The result is the first trike tire that actually works with the forces of riding a trike. They are produced from the same high quality materials as most good high pressure tires, but simply built for lower pressures. I know this is a lot of banter for a simple tire question. We just want everyone to know why we’re using the tires we chose. Here is what I think of some of the high pressure tire choices (these are only tires I’ve
logged lots of miles on): • Primo Comet 20 x 1.35: decent tire, low tread life. • IRC Metro 20 x 1.25: my personal favorite, good tread life, little heavier than some. • Kenda Kwest 20 x 1.5: good all arounder, not as fast as others. • Continental 20 x 1: harsh, twitchy ride, fast. Bob Bryant Comments: I put about 15 miles on the stock tires. I then emailed Jack and asked if I could take the tires off of the Edge (IRC Metro 100 psi 1.25”) and he said okay. I found the stock tires to be extremely comfortable, forgiving and a on the slow side. So I installed the 100 psi IRC Metros. I first ran them at 80 psi, and then up to 100 psi. I had my best performance at the higher pressure. The TT 3.6 has excellent handling, and I do not find a high pressure tire to be detrimental to the handling of this trike. I do agree with WizWheelz that new trike riders may want to ride for 25-100 miles with the stock tires before considering an upgrade. Two other tires I plan to try are the Greenspeed Scorcher that is a designated high performance trike tire and the Schwalbe Big Apple (see RCN 086 page 22). ◆ Reynolds Z-Bone 700 High Performance without the Bone Shaker Ride • Fast • Rear Suspension • Front-Wheel Drive • Light (Titanium) TEL. 603-432-7327 Florida’s Recumbent Headquarters Ask about our demo program Bicycle Sales, Service and Rentals for All Levels “Fast, Friendly, Family Service” 11198 70th Ave North Seminole, FL 33772 727-319-2453 (BIKE) Largest Recumbent dealer in Florida & the Southeast 4300 Sq. Ft. Showroom Located On The Pinellas trail Certified Mechanics On Staff www.reynoldsweldlabs.com He is not pleased with the strength of horses nor in the legs of man, but the Lord delights in those who fear him and hope in his mercy — Psm 147: 10 & 11 The Bike Rack Let us build the recumbent of your dreams Recumbents from: • Bacchetta • RANS • Easy Racers • HP Velotechnik • Burley • Haluzak • Penninger • ICE Trice • Bacchetta • Burley • Catrike • Easy Racers • Cycle Genius • Greenspeed WWW.BICYCLEOUTFITTERS.NET Home of Creative Mobility Mobility Solution Specialists: • Hand Powered Bikes • Wheelchairs • Trikes • Custom Fit is our Specialty • Full Service Shop • Haluzak • Hase • Penninger • RANS • Rotator • Sun The Bacchetta Strada 2930 Campton Hill Rd. St. Charles, Illinois 60175 We ship world wide Call us at 1-800.711.BIKE www.thebikerack.com May/June 2005 15
Page 1 and 2: Recumbent C y c l i s t News RCN 08
Page 3 and 4: Recumbent News CATRIKE SPEED 2005:
Page 5 and 6: GIRO MODS & BIG APPLES Last year I
Page 7 and 8: most on their trikes, and Catrike o
Page 9 and 10: of your helmet, so a neck rest is a
Page 11 and 12: . . . Cont’d from cover: WizWheel
Page 13: you have to do is adjust the seat,
Page 17 and 18: Having said this, I believe this is
Page 19 and 20: Bike Technology From A Different An
Page 21 and 22: to adjust for other riders too ofte
Page 23 and 24: STELVIO: BIG APPLE: 16" 28-349, 17"
Page 25 and 26: Mr. Fix It’s shop of our Fourth o
Page 27 and 28: had inside storage for the bikes, a
Page 29 and 30: Letters continued from page 7 OTHER
Page 32: POSTMASTER: CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTE

C y c l i s t Recumbent - Steve Briggs

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